Headlight



W. H. KELSO.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FlLED AUG-21,1915- Patented Aug. 22, 1916..

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

" rim/w W. H. KELSO.

HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.21, ms. l l5. @fififi l Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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2 604 m 60 r a 68 L l J WILLIAM HARRISON KELSO, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed August 21, 1915. Serial No. 46,614.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM HARRISON I KnLso, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Headlights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for dimming or obstructing or deflecting the beam of light ordinarily cast by an automobile headlight in such manner as to obviate the objectionable glare in the eyes of approaching persons; this application being. in the nature of a continuation in part of my application entitled Electrically operated headlight obstructer, filed June 14, 1915, S. N. 34,099.

My invention has particularly to do with a removable deflector or obstructer adapted to be placed in position=acrossthe lower part of the reflector and adapted to be easily withdrawn from that position when desired.

It is a particular feature of this invention that, by a simple manual control, the obstructer may be placed in use or out of use at will. This is, particularly useful where 'an automobile may be traveling partly upon city streets and partly upon open highways. When traveling upon an open highway it is desirable to have a full light; while, when traveling upon city streets, it is desirable to cut off or dim that part of the light which would otherwise strike the eye of an ap proaching person.

My invention consists of those particulars and combinations hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

For the purpose of the following specification I have illustrated a preferred form of my device in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a headlight equipped with my device, Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, Fig. 1 is a section taken on line l4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5

is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 3, Fig.

6 is an enlarged sectional detail'of certain parts shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 1s a perspective showing the arrangement and mounting of the wings which form the obstructer itself.

' It will be understood that my device may be applied to any ordinary headlight.

In the drawings I have illustrated a typicalheadlight at 10 having a suitable reflector 11 with the usual lamp 12 at the rear part of the reflector. Centrally below the reflector I place a suitable bearing sleeve 13 which carries an outer hollow shaft 1 1 andan inner shaft 15 mounted as shown best in Fig. (3. On the forward ends of these two shafts the two opposite obstructer members 16 and 16 are mounted, the member 16 bein mounted upon the inner shaft 15 and the member 16 upon the outer shaft 14. It will suflice at present to say that these two members 16 and 16 are of such configuration part of the reflector 11. The upper edge ofthis obstructer is shaped as shown in Fig. 1

with a high central part 17 and low parts 18 1 near each side, the extreme sides 19 rising again to an elevation which may be more or less commensurate with that of the central part 17. The central part 17 hides the light 12 from directview ahead, while the lowered side parts 18 allow the reflected rays from the light to be projected outwardly on each side at a point about even with the middle of the reflector. The whole deflector, and particularly the inner face, is'nickel plated and polished, or otherwise rendered highly reflective, so that any light which strikes this deflector is reflected back into the reflector and is finally projected out of the reflector through the upper part of its opening.

On the rear ends of the shafts 14: and 15 I mount a pair of arms 20 and 21 projecting downwardly and upwardly, respectively. These arms are slotted at 22 to receive pins 23 mounted upon a cross head 24 carried and actuated by the horizontally movable solenoid core 25. This solenoid core 25 is actuated back and forth by two solenoids 26 and 27; and it will be seen thatthe arrangement is such that when the solenoid core moves to the right in Figs. 3 and 5, then the two shafts and the obstructer members will be thrown down to the position shown in Fig. 3; while, upon reverse movement of the solenoid (1011!,1l10 parts 16 and 16 will be moved upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1. The obstructer parts move through suitable narrow slots 30 in the reflector; and when in their lowermost position they are practically or completely out of-sight behind the reflector. Either of the solenoids. may

7 be energized atwill by means of any suitstructer parts are in their elevated positions,

with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 5,'a small pawl 40 drops behind a shoulder 41 on cross head 34 to prevent the return movement of the parts. When the solenoid 27 is energized to move the parts to the position shown in Fig. 3, then the solenoid attracts a small armature 42 connected at 43 with the pawl and, the armature 42 being light, it acts .quickly to withdraw the pawl 40 before any appreciable pull is exerted on the core- 25; and the pawl being once withdrawn, then the solenoid 27 can draw the core 25 to the right and lower the obstructer parts in the manner explained.

In order to obviate any sudden shock in the movements of the parts I may connect a dash pot arrangement as shown at 50 in Figs/2 and 4. I may. employ a-pair of cylinders 51' with pistons 52 therein mounted upon a piston rod 53, which piston rod may be connected by a member 54 with the cross head 24. The cylinders may be filled with oil and adjusted so as to give a proper shock absorbing or retarding effect, making the acmtion smooth and'without jar.

consists itself of a plurality of wings or V shafts.

vanes 60, 61, and 61 The particular construction of the 0bstructer parts will now be explained.

'It will be noted that each obstructer part vanes. I. preferably employ two for each opposite part as shown in Fig. 7. These are mounted separately upon hubs 62, 63, 62, and 63*. Hubs 62 and 62 are rigidly mounted upon the shafts 14 and 15 respectively; While hubs 63 and 63 are mounted loosely upon said Between each pair of hubs there is a connection allowing of a certain amount of lost motion. For instance, I may cut pe ripheral notches-65 in the hubs 63 and 63 and teeth 66 may project from the hubs 62 and 62 into these notches. It will be seen that the arrangement provides for telescopic action for the two sets of vanes. When the -varies are moved downwardly in the'direction indicated in Fig. 7, and when the vanes 61 strike the lower part of the case, which they have done in Fig. 3', then the vanes 60 can move on downwardly to rest beside the Reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 will show how little it is necessary to enlarge the ordinary lamp cases to accommodate my complete device.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim? 1.' In combination with a lamp and a reflector behind and extending forwardly around the same, the reflector being slotted with opposite vertical slots forward of the lamp, a pair of deflector members'pivoted on horizontal longitudinal axes and lying normally exterior of the reflector on opposite sides at the slots therein, and means to move said deflector members inwardly toward each other through the slots and across thereflector in front of the lamp.

2. In combination with a lamp and a reflector behind and extending forwardlyother and normally lying exterior .of the re- 1 'flector opposite the slots therein, and means to move said deflector members inwardly toward-each other through said slots across the reflector in front of the lamp.

3. In combination with a reflector of the class described, having opposite vertical slots on opposite sides, a pair of deflector members lying normally exterior of the refiector on opposite sides thereof opposite said slots, and means to move said members inwardly toward each other" through the slots and across the reflector to meet each other, said members being formed so as to form a continuous deflector across a part of the reflector.

4;. In combination with a reflector of the class described, having .opposite vertical slots in opposite sides, a horizontal shaft arranged on a central longitudinal line exterior of the reflector, a pair of deflector members mounted on said shaft to move independently of each other and normally lying exterior of the reflector opposite the slots therein, each of said members having astraight forward radial edge and a curved, rear edge so that when they are moved inwardly to meet each other their straight edges meet and their curved edgesconform;

to the curvature of the reflector, and means wardly through the slots and across the reflector toward each other.

5. In combination with a reflector of the I class described, having opposite vertical slots in opposite sides, a horizontal shaft arranged on a central longitudinal line exterior of the reflector, a pair of deflector members mounted on said shaft to move indeto simultaneously move said members in- '1 pendentlv of each other and normally lying 13 exterior of the reflector opposite the slots therein, each of said members havlng a straight forward radial edge and a curved rear edge so that when they are moved 111- ward] y to meet each other thehflstraight edges meet and their curved edges'c'onform to the curvature of the reflector, each of said deHw-tor members embodying a plurality of parts inthe form of vanes foldable on each other, and means tosimultaneously move 1') sald members inwardly through the slots and across the reflector toward each other.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of August 1915.

WILLIAM HARRISON KELSO.

Witness:

' JAMES T. BARKELEW. 

